MicroRNA expression profiles in liver and colon of sexually immature gilts after exposure to Fusarium mycotoxins

To improve our knowledge of the role of microRNAs (miRs) in responses of the porcine digestive system to two Fusarium mycotoxins, zearalenone (ZEN) and deoxynivalenol (DON), we examined the expression of 7 miRs (miR-9, miR-15a, miR-21, miR-34a, miR-122, miR-125b, and miR-192), previously found to be deregulated in diseased liver and colon cells. In this study, immature gilts were exposed to NOEL doses of ZEN (40 μg/kg/d), DON (12 μg/kg/d), ZEN+DON (40+12 μg/kg/d), and placebo (negative control group) for 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42 days. Before the treatment, expression levels of the selected miRs were measured in the liver, the duodenum, the jejunum, and the ascending and the descending colon of the gilts. Hierarchical clustering of the tissues by their miR expression profiles was consistent with what would be expected based on the anatomical locations and the physiological functions of the organs, suggesting that functions of the miRs are related to the specificities of the tissues in which they are expressed. A subset of 2 pairs of miRs (miR-21+miR-192 and miR-15a+miR-34a), which were assigned to two distinct clusters based on their tissue abundance, was then evaluated in the liver and the ascending and the descending colon during the treatment. The most meaningful results were obtained from the ascending colon, where a significant effect of the treatment was observed, suggesting that during the exposure to mycotoxins, the pathways involved in cell proliferation and survival were disordered. Changes in miR expression in the liver and the descending colon of the treated gilts were smaller, and were associated more with treatment duration than the exposure to ZEN, DON, or ZEN+DON. Further research should focus on identification of genes whose expression is regulated by these aberrantly expressed miRs. This should facilitate understanding of the miRNA-regulated biological effects of mycotoxins

Assessment of mutagenic activity of methyl- and phenylphenanthrenes based on Salmonella test and micronucleus test

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widely spread environmental pollutants mainly originating from anthropogenic sources such as fossil fuel combustion, industries, and others. Although a large body of literature exists on the toxicity and carcinogenicity of PAHs, primarily benzo[a]pyrene, toxicity data for phenanthrene deriveratives are very limited. The main aim of the experiment was to investigate if there exists correlation between molecular structure and mutagenic activity of four phenanthrene derivatives: 1 methylphenanthrene, 4 methylphenanthrene, 1 phenylphenanthrene, and 4 phenylphenanthrene. An Ames assay using two strains of histidine dependent Salmonella Typhimurium (TA98 and TA100) was conducted to assess the mutagenic activity of studied compounds both in the presence (+S9) and in the absence (-S9) of an exogenous source of metabolic activation. The compounds were also tested in an in vitro chromosome aberration assay in which V-79 cells were exposed to the phenanthrene derivatives investigated both in the presence and in the absence of metabolic activation. The phenylphenanthrenes showed no mutagenic effect. These compounds occasionally induced significant decrease in the number of revertants in the Ames test. The greatest mutagenic effects were observed for 1 methylphenanthrene after metabolic activation (+S9). In the micronucleus test the greatest mutagenic effect was observed for 4 methylphenanthrene also in the presence of metabolic activation system. The results obtained are comparable to those reported earlier for the methylphenanthrenes

Przestępczość - resocjalizacja - profilaktyka. Współczesne aspekty

Z wprowadzenia: "Zagadnienia współczesnej przestępczości (a zwłaszcza dostrzegalnych zmian w jej rozmiarach i coraz bardziej zróżnicowanym obrazie), społecznej reakcji na to zjawisko i związanych z nim prób instytucjonalnie zorganizowanej interwencji profilaktyczno-resocjalizacyjnej znajdują się w orbicie zainteresowań przedstawicieli różnych dyscyplin naukowych. Specjaliści zwracają uwagę na kilka istotnych aspektów przestępczości. Jednym z nich są coraz bardziej odczuwane trudności w trafnym diagnozowaniu mechanizmów prowadzących do naruszania standardów prawnych, ponieważ wyjaśnianie przyczyn przestępczości jedynie w oparciu o ugruntowane w nauce teorie kryminologiczne wydaje się zabiegiem niewystarczającym."(...

Relacje pomiędzy nieprzystosowaniem społecznym a agresywnością, poczuciem napięcia oraz samoskutecznością w grupie uczniów w wieku dorastania(The relationships between the social maladjustment and the aggressiveness, the senseof strain, the self-efficacy among adolescent pupils group)

This paper concerns social maladjustment youth and his personality and situational correlates. The paper refers to Robert Agnew’s general strain theory (GST). The main objective of the empirical research is to understand the relationship between the social maladjustment and the sense of strain, aggression, self-efficacy in the group of male pupils. The hypotheses were tested on 142 pupils. The results confirmed most of the assumed relationships between variables

Meconium Proteins Involved in Iron Metabolism

The lack of specific biological materials and biomarkers limits our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying intrauterine regulation of iron supply to the fetus. Determining the meconium content of proteins commonly used in the laboratory to assess the transport, storage, and distribution of iron in the body may elucidate their roles in fetal development. Ferritin, transferrin, haptoglobin, ceruloplasmin, lactoferrin, myeloperoxidase (MPO), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), and calprotectin were determined by ELISA in meconium samples obtained from 122 neonates. There were strong correlations between the meconium concentrations of haptoglobin, transferrin, and NGAL (p < 0.05). Meconium concentrations of ferritin were several-fold higher than the concentrations of the other proteins, with the exception of calprotectin whose concentration was approximately three-fold higher than that of ferritin. Meconium ceruloplasmin concentration significantly correlated with the concentrations of MPO, NGAL, lactoferrin, and calprotectin. Correlations between the meconium concentrations of haptoglobin, transferrin, and NGAL may reflect their collaborative involvement in the storage and transport of iron in the intrauterine environment in line with their recognized biological properties. High meconium concentrations of ferritin may provide information about the demand for iron and its utilization by the fetus. The associations between ceruloplasmin and neutrophil proteins may indicate the involvement of ceruloplasmin in the regulation of neutrophil activity in the intrauterine environment

The Effect of Deoxynivalenol on Selected Populations of Immunocompetent Cells in Porcine Blood—A Preliminary Study

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the most prevalent mycotoxins in Europe. Pigs are an animal species that is most susceptible to this mycotoxin. Deoxynivalenol causes significant losses in pig production by lowering feed intake, decreasing daily weight gains, disrupting immune responses, and increasing susceptibility to diseases. The aim of this experiment was to determine the influence of feed contaminated with DON at concentrations insignificantly higher than recommended by the European Commission (900 µg/kg). The experimental feed contained 1008 μg DON/kg. The experiment was performed on eight weaners from the same litter. The animals were randomly divided into two groups: an experimental group (M, n = 4) fed contaminated feed and a control group (C, n = 4) administered feed free of mycotoxins. The experiment lasted for six weeks, and peripheral blood samples were collected from the animals for analyses of selected morphological parameters and changes in the percentages of CD4+8−, CD4−8+, and CD4+8+ lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells (APC) with CD14+172+ (monocytes), CD172ahigh4−14− (conventional dendritic cells, cDC), and CD172adim4+14− (plasmacytoid dendritic cells, pDC) phenotypes. The morphological parameters of porcine blood samples were determined by flow cytometry with non-fluorescent particle-size calibration standards, and no differences were observed between groups M and C. An immunophenotyping analysis of lymphocytes and dendritic cells (DC) revealed an increase in the percentage of CD4+8−, CD172ahigh4−14−, and CD172adim4+14− cells, and a decrease in the number of CD4−8+ cells in group M. The results of this experiment suggest that prolonged exposure to low doses of DON can change the proportions of immunocompetent cells (a shift towards humoral immunity), without affecting their overall counts